Advisory Board

Larry Malcom Smith Jr is a social justice activist, organizer, movement strategist, and youth foster care advocate. Larry is also a survivor of the NYC child welfare system, having spent his childhood moving between 23 different foster homes. He seeks to abolish the current child welfare system and shift the narrative about what it means to keep children safe.

Shrounda’s child welfare experience birthed an advocate seeking to destigmatize parents and move toward a system that empowers and values parents as partners. Shrounda’s work prioritizes marginalized and disenfranchised families and relentlessly pursues policy change and system reform toward preserving and strengthening families. She has a keen understanding of change agents’ power, the impacts and barriers of policies, and the overall importance of personal and societal transformation.

Shrounda has extensive work experience with the King County Parents for Parents Program, Washington State Office Public Defense’s Parent Representation Program, and other programs such as the Perinatal Treatment Services and the University of Washington Fetal Alcohol Drug Unit Parent-Child Assistance Program.

Shrounda is the recipient of the 2021 Casey Excellence for Child Award and the 2021 Unsung Hero Award by the Department of Children, Youth, and Family Strengthening Families in partnership with Seattle Child. She is also a member of the Washington State Parent Ally Committee, a founding member of the Birth Parent National Network, Executive Board member of Family Treatment Court of King County, the Co-Chair of the Department of Children, Youth and Families Oversight Board, a national consultant for Casey Families and the Children’s Trust Fund serving multiple jurisdictions across the United States. She provides a parent lived experience on the state, local and national platforms, all in pursuit of justice and family preservation.

Terence’s journey didn’t always look so linear. At a young age, Terence met the foster care system face to face. Bounced from home to home for no reason other than being driven deeper into anxiety, unaware of what and who would come next. Terence didn’t let his experience in the foster care system shadow the impact he would have on young men in similar situations 20 years later. Now, through Galaxy Swimming, he is continuing to give back to his community.

He is involved in community social work practice in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood and has worked on several national policy research initiatives related to poor families, their employment, family formation, and receipt of public assistance. His publications include “Social Work with Families after PRWORA: Family Systems and Rational Choice Models,” “Relational Discord and Depressive Symptomatology among Non-Marital Co-Parents,” “Using Geographical Information Systems to Enhance Community-Based Child Welfare Services,” “Young Nonresidential Fathers Have Lower Earnings: Implications for Increasing Child Support Payments,” and “Using the Criminal Justice System to Prevent Adolescent Drug Abuse.”

Dr. Robertson has taught research methodology and human behavior courses. He previously taught at the Hunter School of Social Work, where he developed the school’s community organization field placement program, and at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. He has also worked with newly released federal inmates as they return to family, employment, and their communities. Dr. Robertson holds a BA in Economics from St. John’s College, University of Manitoba; an MSW from Rutgers University; and a PhD in Labor Economics and Social Policy from the Columbia School of Social Work.